Canadian Music Week (CMW) announced its rebrand as Departure Festival and Conference this past November, and artist applications for the Toronto-set event have now opened.
Departure's curated showcases serve as a launchpad to help artists break out and connect with fellow musicians, producers, managers and music business professionals to forge lasting relationships and collaborate on future projects.
For its inaugural year, festival organizers are waiving artist application fees and will award showcase performers an honorarium. Bands and groups will receive $150 per performance, while solo artists will receive $100.
The artist application portal can be found at Departure's official website alongside further festival and conference details.
Departure Festival events and showcases will take place at venues across Toronto from May 6 to 11, with greater programming updates arriving in early 2025.
Early-bird conference and priority passes are currently on sale, with prices set to increase on January 24. Additional pass types will go on sale in the coming months.